Photonic switches, photonic switching fabrics and methods for data centers

Abstract

Data center interconnections, which encompass WSCs as well as traditional data centers, have become both a bottleneck and a cost/power issue for cloud computing providers, cloud service providers and the users of the cloud generally. Fiber optic technologies already play critical roles in data center operations and will increasingly in the future. The goal is to move data as fast as possible with the lowest latency with the lowest cost and the smallest space consumption on the server blade and throughout the network. Accordingly, it would be beneficial for new fiber optic interconnection architectures to address the traditional hierarchal time-division multiplexed (TDM) routing and interconnection and provide reduced latency, increased flexibility, lower cost, lower power consumption, and provide interconnections exploiting scalable optical modular optically switched interconnection network as well as temporospatial switching fabrics allowing switching speeds below the slowest switching element within the switching fabric.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An optical device comprising:
 a first non-suspended portion supporting an input optical waveguide; 
 a second non-suspended portion supporting a plurality of output optical waveguides; 
 a suspended portion disposed between the first non-suspended portion and the second non-suspended portion comprising:
 a pivot coupled to a substrate of the optical device; 
 a beam comprising:
 a first suspended waveguide portion disposed between the pivot and the first non-suspended portion; 
 a second suspended waveguide portion disposed between the pivot and the second non-suspended portion having a first end coupled to the pivot and a second distal end where the beam for the second suspended waveguide portion is split in two between the first end and the second end; and 
 
 a waveguide disposed upon the first suspended waveguide portion and the second suspended waveguide portion coupled at a first end to the input optical waveguide and having a second end at the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion for coupling optical signals from the input optical waveguide to an output optical waveguide of the plurality of output optical waveguides; and 
 
 a first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuator mechanically coupled to the pivot; wherein 
 the waveguide is disposed upon one of the split portions of the beam between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion; and 
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion is translated relative to the second non-suspended portion by the first MEMS actuator to align the second end of the waveguide with the output optical waveguide of the plurality of output optical waveguides. 
 
     
     
       2. The optical device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second MEMS actuator mechanically coupled to the pivot and disposed to another side of the suspended portion to that of the first MEMS actuator. 
     
     
       3. The optical device according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the first MEMS actuator is a first rotational actuator; and 
 the second MEMS actuator is a second rotational actuator. 
 
     
     
       4. The optical device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the waveguide is optically coupled to another output optical waveguide of the plurality of output optical waveguides by the appropriate action of the first MEMS actuator. 
 
     
     
       5. The optical device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the first MEMS actuator is a rotational actuator. 
 
     
     
       6. The optical device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion is attracted to the second non-suspended portion when the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion are oppositely charged to close a gap between the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion; and 
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion can be moved relative to the second non-suspended portion when the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion are either uncharged or similarly charged. 
 
     
     
       7. The optical device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 each of the split portions of the beam between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion have a curved geometry; and 
 the split portions are disposed on either side of an axis of the suspended portion between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion. 
 
     
     
       8. A method of optical switching of an optical device comprising:
 providing a first non-suspended portion supporting a plurality of input optical waveguides; 
 providing a second non-suspended portion supporting a plurality of output optical waveguides; 
 providing a suspended portion disposed between the first non-suspended portion and the second non-suspended portion comprising:
 a pivot coupled to a substrate of the optical device; 
 a beam comprising:
 a first suspended waveguide portion disposed between the pivot and the first non-suspended portion; 
 a second suspended waveguide portion disposed between the pivot and the second non-suspended portion having a first end coupled to the pivot and a second distal end where the beam for the second suspended waveguide portion is split in two between the first end and the second end; and 
 
 a waveguide disposed upon the first suspended waveguide portion and the second suspended waveguide portion coupled at a first end to the input optical waveguide and having a second end at the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion for coupling optical signals from the input optical waveguide to an output optical waveguide of the plurality of output optical waveguides; and 
 
 providing a first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuator mechanically coupled to the pivot; wherein 
 the waveguide is disposed upon one of the split portions of the beam between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion; and 
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion is translated relative to the second non-suspended portion by the first MEMS actuator to align the second end of the waveguide with the output optical waveguide of the plurality of output optical waveguides. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of optical switching according to  claim 8 , further comprising
 providing a second MEMS actuator mechanically coupled to the pivot and disposed to another side of the suspended portion to that of the first MEMS actuator. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of optical switching according to  claim 9 , wherein
 providing the first MEMS actuator comprises providing a first rotational actuator; and 
 providing the second MEMS actuator comprises providing a second rotational actuator. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of optical switching according to  claim 8 , wherein the waveguide is optically coupled to another output optical waveguide of the plurality of output optical waveguides by the appropriate action of the first MEMS actuator. 
     
     
       12. The method of optical switching according to  claim 8 , wherein
 providing the first MEMS actuator comprises providing a rotational actuator. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of optical switching according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion is attracted to the second non-suspended portion when the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion are oppositely charged to close a gap between the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion; and 
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion can be moved relative to the second non-suspended portion when the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion are either uncharged or similarly charged. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of optical switching according to  claim 8 , wherein
 each of the split portions of the beam between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion have a curved geometry; and 
 the split portions are disposed on either side of an axis of the suspended portion between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion. 
 
     
     
       15. An optical device comprising:
 a first non-suspended portion supporting M input optical waveguides; 
 a second non-suspended portion supporting N output optical waveguides; 
 a suspended portion disposed between the first non-suspended portion and the second non-suspended portion comprising:
 a pivot coupled to a substrate of the optical device; 
 a beam comprising:
 a first suspended waveguide portion disposed between the pivot and the first non-suspended portion; 
 a second suspended waveguide portion disposed between the pivot and the second non-suspended portion having a first end coupled to the pivot and a second distal end where the beam for the second suspended waveguide portion is split in two between the first end and the second end; and 
 
 M waveguides disposed upon the first suspended waveguide portion and the second suspended waveguide portion coupled at a first end to the M input optical waveguides and at a second end at the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion for coupling optical signals from the M input optical waveguides to a subset of the N output optical waveguides; and 
 
 a first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuator mechanically coupled to the pivot; wherein 
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion is translated relative to the second non-suspended portion to align the M waveguides with the subset of the N output optical waveguides. 
 
     
     
       16. The optical device according to  claim 15 , wherein the M waveguides are optically coupled to another subset of the N output optical waveguides by the appropriate action of the first MEMS actuator. 
     
     
       17. The optical device according to  claim 15 , further comprising a second MEMS actuator mechanically coupled to the pivot and disposed to another side of the suspended portion to that of the first MEMS actuator. 
     
     
       18. The optical device according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion is attracted to the second non-suspended portion when the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion are oppositely charged to close a gap between the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion; and 
 the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion can be moved relative to the second non-suspended portion when the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second non-suspended portion are either uncharged or similarly charged. 
 
     
     
       19. The optical device according to  claim 15 , wherein
 each of the split portions of the beam between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion have a curved geometry; and 
 the split portions are disposed on either side of an axis of the suspended portion between the first end of the second suspended waveguide portion and the second distal end of the second suspended waveguide portion.